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Seals Guaranteed! A magical experience for all ages of ocean nature lovers and wildlife bird watchers. Book a 2 hour trip on our seal watching boat tour, for all ages at sealwatching.co.uk Just 30 minutes from Colchester you can see seals in their natural habitat on the banks of the Hamford Water Reserve. We depart from Harwich Half Penny Pier. Seals Guaranteed or a free trip. See the seals in their natural environment basking and lolloping on the shore or popping their heads up around the boat. Its a beautiful way to experience the seals while immersing yourself in the beautiful Walton backwaters. If you are lucky you might spot a Porpois on the boat trip to the reserve. The journey to the seals will take you through Harwich Harbour with beautiful views of the River Orwell and Stour Estuaries. You will then sail past the largest container ships in the world at Felixstowe Port before venturing on to the mystical creeks of Hamford Water Nature Reserve to see the seals. The 8th book in the Swallows and Amazons is set in these very creeks. Children and adults alike are captivated by the seals basking and lolloping on the shore or popping their heads up around the boat, it really is a beautiful way to experience them.

Walton backwaters, a healthy breeding population which has increased from only 5 in 1986. The colony of both harbour seals (Phoca vitulina) and grey seals (Halichoerus grypus) which are an unusual russet colour due to the iron oxide-rich mud which they haul out onto. The seals love to rest on the mudbanks like the backwaters, because these waters are permanently free of ice. 

Hamford water backwaters, behind the Naze, is a National Nature Reserve which is recognised as being an internationally important wetland for birds (RAMSAR). Hamford Water and the Walton Backwaters is an area of mudflats, islands, salt marshes and tidal creeks, viewed best by boat. It is an internationally important breeding ground for Little Terns and wintering ground for Dark-bellied Brent Geese, Wildfowl and Waders. It also supports communities of coastal plants which are extremely rare in Britain including Hog’s Fennel.

The RAMSAR classification in the area means that it is an internationally important wetland for birds. It is on the migration route for many bird species and provides wintering grounds for Brent Geese, Godwit, Redshank, Shelduck, Teal and Avocet and breeding grounds for Terns. In addition, there are nationally important numbers of Wigeon, Pintail, Ringed Plover, Curlew, and Dunlin. During migration in the autumn and spring, the Naze is a prime birdwatching site. Curlew and Sandpipers are regularly seen along the beach, with Gannets and Arctic Skuas passing offshore.